Between the Darkness

I hate It when a movie is described as a horror movie when it's really not. It's more like a psychological thriller. I knew I was in trouble watching this when I kept checking to see how much time was left. Completely disappointed and wouldn't recommend it to any true horror fan.

Horror films that revolve around spiritual entities can be a gamble sometimes. Presentation is everything when it comes to the viewer's perception of the beast in question. However, it also depends on where these apparitions fall in line with the narrative being told. Creatures like these exist in all sorts of cultures and have been depicted in a number of ways. The frustrating part is that many people don't know whether they are foreshadowing upcoming good or bad events. This seems to be the struggle for this one family who is going through a tough time. It's hard to know what's really the cause of these mysterious events, but religion is a path people take in order to try and make a justification for said moments. Which is exactly how this story begins.

The premise is about the Grady family, made up of Roy (Lew Temple), a widower, Sprout (Nicole Moorea Sherman) and Percy (Tate Birchmore) who recently lost another family member Magda (Daniela Leon). Together they move to a remote location where they strive to bond with one another and learn to let go of the past, holding true to their beliefs in Greek mythology. Soon after though, Sprout and Roy begin having strange dreams at night, being visited by ghostly figures. The script and direction was headed by Andres Rovira, in his first feature length film. With that said, this a very strong first outing of his. Being a screenwriter and director at the same time is not always the easiest of tasks to handle. What works best in the screenplay for this film is it's disturbing coming of age plot. Viewers follow Sprout on a journey of self-discovery and growth, not all of which is pleasant.

There are certain rules she is required to abide by, like giving an hour of silence to the gods or not mingling with the opposite gender. Such as in the case for the local park ranger Stella Woodhouse (Danielle Harris) and her son Max (Max Page). Stella enjoys visiting Roy, while Roy wants Max to befriend Percy. Yet, Stella thinks Max should get to know Sprout since they have something in common. Both their parents' partners passed away. Things only get more ominous the more Sprout begins to grow out of her comfort zone. Performance wise, the actors all do a great job. Nicole Moorea Sherman as the main lead is very convincing and its entertaining to see her character develop. Sherman was also in The Queen's Corgi (2019), but this really should be her breakout acting role. Her chemistry with the other actors is well matched too.

Tate Birchmore who has also been in other movies like Peppermint (2018) is believable in his role as a little brother. The only thing that doesn't make sense is his affinity for covering his hands. Whether it be plastic wrap or oven mitts, his hands are covered. Not sure what that's all about. Lew Temple as Roy Grady certainly does his best to be a caring father as well as showing his massive flaws. His interest in pagan religion however, would have been nice to get more background on. Having played in other movies like The Devil's Rejects (2005), Unstoppable (2010) and The Lone Ranger (2013), Temple is competent in his role. The same could be said for Danielle Harris who rose to fame from her days in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989). Harris as Stella Woodhouse plays her roll with sass and is somewhat of a sister figure to that of Sprout.

The visuals to this feature are a decent spectacle too. Being that the horror elements to this feature are more ghostly and psychological, there's very little blood spilled and that's okay. Thankfully there are no jump scares. The camerawork handled by Madeline Kate Kann was well done too. Seeing that this is also her first feature length film, this is great. There are several shots from a bird's eye view and when it comes to the nightmarish creatures, Kann uses the camera to keep what viewers want to see right out of focus to keep their attention. Smart. However, there is a specific location that felt rather random. Almost like there was more to it. A scene being left out maybe? Lastly, the musical score composed by Diego Rojas is fair for what was heard. Much of his music consists of light piano with an occasional string draw. It's simple and that's all that was really needed.

Usually, coming of age films are dramas. This one though. combines family drama with a much darker twist. While there are occasional areas that could have used more explanation, the story of a family struggling to seek emotional closure is definitely an intriguing watch. The cast of actors work well, the music is elementary but effective, and the visuals are competently crafted.

Movie starts off slow with the first act but gains momentum in the second act and third. Creepy movie but not really scary. Still worth a watch.

*Synopsis*

A girl, Sprout, wakes up with a bad dream.

Roll Credits.

The film begins as the family is in the car,driving to their home out in the woods. They all sit down to dinner and pray to Hippocrates. It's one year today since one of the daughters, Magda, died. We get scenes of the father and two remaining daughters playing together as they commemorate the anniversary. The father, or maybe all of them, seem inordinately obsessed with Greek mythology; for example, the son's name is Perseus, Percy for short.

Finally, the night is over, and Sprout heads to bed. She has the nightmare again, and she sees her dead sister coming for her, but wakes up before anything bad happens. *Was* there someone in her room?

The young brother, Percy, seems to be traumatized. He doesn't talk, he wears plastic film or gloves continually, and he has really girlish long hair. The park ranger and her son come for a visit. Sprout gets a glimpse of what appears to be a monster in the woods. She calls it a Gorgon.

The father seems to be an aging hippy, warning that the outside world is chaos. He prays to strange gods and expects answers from them. He says his patron god is Hippocrates, and that Sprout will find her own patron god when she's ready. She asks about Magda, and he explains that Magda was *confused* about the gods (so was I by this point).

Sprout continues to have night terrors every time she goes to sleep. She and Percy go "monster hunting" the next day and find a bunch of dead animals. Sprout falls down and has some kind of seizure. She claims the Gorgon froze her like Medusa. Her father warns her not to go back into those woods.

The father says he believes Sprout about the Gorgon, and then he goes outside to run through the woods naked in the dark.

Things start getting *really* weird from there...

*Commentary*

"There are no gods. Only Monsters"

The scenes of the thing creeping around outside Sprout's bed are genuinely well done. Who hasn't experienced night terrors at least once?

The coming-of-age part of the film obviously revolves around Sprout hitting puberty, as she starts getting interested in Max and dressing in a more adult style. Growing up is about setting aside childish things, and we definitely see that here. Parents are rarely what we think growing up, and, as we see here, sometimes they are not even close.

Still, does anyone in the modern age, even crazy people, really believe in the Greek gods and monsters? This belief is such an integral part of the movie, but it just seems like a bit much of a stretch to just accept this.

The acting is impressive all around. Lew Temple changes significantly from what we see initially by the conclusion of the movie, and it all seems a more-or-less "natural" progression. Nicole Moorea Sherman as Sprout is fascinating to watch as she finally starts to realize her world makes no sense. The actor who played Percy was fine in the role, but I couldn't help thinking I was watching the annoying little girl from "Hereditary" several times; there's a real resemblance.

Overall, I liked it. I'm probably not really the demographic for a teenage girl's coming-of-age story, but once the strangeness began, I was thoroughly hooked.

Started out as a psychological drama about an isolated family with some very strange religious beliefs but has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing til the end. Are monsters real, or are humans the real monsters. I was expecting a little more horror but over all it was an excellent movie. Awesome cinematography, good cast and a pretty decent ending.